INA, Ill. - Rend Lake College pulled off its eighth straight win in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference, Wednesday night, with a 74-52 victory over Southeastern Illinois College, in Ina.

The Warriors are following up the best season in school history when RLC went to the national championship tournament last year.

After the game, RLC Assistant Coach Tommy Holder said there is a palpable postseason atmosphere in the Warriors' locker room and this was a tough game his team had to get through.

"There are a lot of emotions going on as we head into the end of the season," Holder said. "I just want our guys to come out relaxed and play our brand of basketball."

The Warriors started out slow tonight against SIC but got some good, second-half minutes from players like Jeril Taylor (Louisville, Ky.), Cortez Macklin (Louisville, Ky.) and Montez Williams (East St. Louis).

Williams led the team with 11 points, while Taylor and Macklin had 10 each; and sophomore Noel Allen (Guttenburg, N.J.) added nearly double digits in the scoring column.

Warriors Head Coach Randy House said his team will "play to our strengths and practice on our weaknesses." He said, "Our players weren't too crisp tonight, so we will work on that."

The Warriors will head to Kaskaskia on Saturday, Feb. 16, before facing Olney Central on the road Monday, Feb. 18. RLC's final home game will be at 7:30 p.m. Homecoming, Wednesday, Feb. 20 against Wabash Valley.

For all things athletic at The Lake, visit RLC online at www.rlc.edu/warriors.